To Love a Lord
by Sephiroth's Kitsune
Summary: Everything's fine at the Raenef Castle; Raenef's sleeping during his studies, Erutis and Chris are fighting and... Eclipse is in a dress?


Ok all here's my fic.  All disclaimer things apply like i no own u no sue everyone go home happy ne?  Anyway, this story takes place after volume 7 I guess, but Raenef is still ditzy and stuff. so.. yeah..... R&R

Pristine towers loomed over the four in the court yard, each relishing the serene afternoon.  Birds chirped softly and the wind russled the figures and trees.

"I'm bored!"

Eclipse almost fell from the chair he was sitting on and Chris and Erutis squinted at the blonde boy.

The raven haired demon raked his hand through his bangs, "What do you propose we do Master Raenef?"

"Um..."  Raenef cupped his chin with his hands and pondered. "We could, no, we did that yesterday."

"You could always destroy something like a real demon lord," Erutis commented.

"But I don't want to destroy anything right now."

"Do you all mind, I'm trying to relax," Chris frowned and rolled over.

"Grumpmeister," Erutis teased.

"I'm not a grumpmeister!" Chris rolled back and sat up.

"Are to!"

"Are not!"

"Are to!"

"Are not!"

Eclipse, with a tiny flick of his wrist sent the quarreling duo running, their mouths in flames.

"Well Master Raenef it's time for your studies."

"Awe but Eclipse, it's so nice out!" Raenef pouted.

Eclipse muttered "_go_" and disappeared.

Raenef sighed and pictured the study in his mind before muttering the same command.  He didn't however know he'd be teleporting right into Eclipse's lap.

"Well that was unexpected," smiled Raenef, scratching his chin.

"_But not totally unheard of_," thought Eclipse and remembered the time Krayon had done that back when Raenef IV was still ruling.

"So what are we working on today?" Raenef asked.

"I'll tell you once you're in your own chair."

"Oh, oops."

Raenef hopped up and plopped back down in the chair opposite Eclipse.

"Now we'll be working on..." Eclipse looked at the already snoring Raenef and thought, "_He usually stays awake until I've at least told him the lesson_."

Eclipse summoned a small flame to his hand and sent it onto Raenef's robes.  A few moments later Raenef opened his eyes.

"Hey Eclipse? What's burning?  Wah!  Put it out put it out!" Raenef danced around until he managed to pat out the controlled flame.

"As I was saying," Eclipse opened a large tome and placed it before Raenef as he sat.

"How to combat garden weeds?"

Eclipse looked down at the page and quickly flipped it once more.

"How to combat boredom?  Sounds fun enough.  Ok , it says a demon lord should never suffer boredom as he should be biding his time contemplating gruesome ways of torture, destruction, and or manipulation of the human mind.  How is all of that entertaining?" Raenef asked.

"It's what..."

"Hey what's this?"  Raenef picked at the edge of the page.  "Hey, it's taped on."

Raenef careluffly peeled off the over page and looked at the page under it.

"Boredom of a demon lord is to always be blamed on the demon lord's servant and as punishment..." Raenef's eyes buldged and he looked up at Eclipse.

Eclipse grimaced and placed his head in his hand.

"So this is where Granvirias got that from," awed Raenef.

A smiled tugged at Raenef's lips and soon he burst out laughing, no longer able to control his mirth.  Chris and Erutis were walking by the study entrance when they heard the outburst.  Curious, the two opened the doors and saw Raenef rolling on the ground laughing.

"Hm?"

Chris walked over to the book, Eclipse totally unaware as he thought about his punishment.  Chris looked down and smiled.

"Eclipse has to wear a frilly dress!"

Tears sprang from Erutis's eyes as she laughed.  Eclipse rubbed his eyes and wished Raenef hadn't noticed the clear tape on the edges.  When Raenef regained his bearings he stood and re-read the page making sure he wasn't missing anything.

"Well Eclipse, I'll be nice and not make it pink," Raenef smiled. "How does..."

"No Rae, it says pink," pointed Chris.

Eclipse clenched his teeth and rested his head on the table in defeat.

"Well it's not like I have a choice Eclipse.  You're the one who told me everything in the book goes."

Eclipse sighed inwardly and stood.  Regaining what was left of his dignity he teleported from the room.

"Oh now that's not fair.  He can't wear it and just hibernate in his room!" Erutis protested.

"To Eclipse's room!" Chris proclaimed.

"Um, Chris?  We don't know where Eclipse's room is," commented Raenef.

"Well I'll find it!  I'm a super-genius after all," Chris bragged.

"Super-genius my foot," Erutis muttered.

Raenef giggled and the two followed Chris.  After an hour of searching they collapsed back in the study.

"We went in a full circle nine times," Erutis moaned and pulled her boots off to massage her aching feet.

"Well if you hadn't been complaining all the time I'm sure I would have found it," Chris huffed.

Raenef scanned over the book again.

"Hey wait!  He has to come back!  It say's 'Upon adorning the garment the servent must return to the place he last saw his master and succeed in entertaining his leige the rest of the day else he will be doomed to wear the outfit the rest of his waking hours'. So he has to be here somewhere."

"Unless he hasn't put it on yet," said Erutis.

Raenef furrowed his brow and looked at his hands.

"Hey, you guys.  Over there," Chris whispered and pointed at the small round table between two of the book shelves.

Eclipse sat perched on the marble surface and leaned back against the wall, legs crossed in a modest way.

"Wow Eclipse, you really pull off that look well.  Pink looks good on you," grinned Erutis.

Eclipse pushed himself off the table top and stood, eyes still closed.  The dress was long, sweeping below his ankles and the sleeves gathered at his wrists in flowered cuffs.  A white maid-like apron went over it, giving him the look of a human house servant.

Raenef looked him over but found himself gazing with more amazement than laughter.

"Master Raenef?" Eclipse tilted his head to the side and stared at his lord.

"Uh, you look nice Eclipse." Raenef smiled and giggled slightly to give and excuse for why his cheeks were suddenly turning red.

"Well Rae, he has to entertain you now.  Not like he doesn't have to obey you any other time," commented Chris.

"Only now he has to do it in a dress," laughed Erutis.

Raenef looked Eclipse over again, quite a few unbidden thoughts accompanied the funny commands floating through his mind.

"Oh come on Rae you've gotta have something," Erutis pouted.

"Um... Could you let your hair down?" Raenef asked meekly.

Eclipse reached back and unwound the wrap keeping his hair tied.  He shook his head slightly to loosen the locks and they fanned out behind his shoulders.  Even Erutis and Chris were caught off guard.  They had no idea Eclipse looked so... pretty.  Raenef chewed on his lower lip realizing his cheeks were becoming very warm.

"_What the heck?  I shouldn't be thinking these kinds of things."_ Raenef thought. He chanced a look back over at Eclipse.

"Master Raenef?"

"Eh, uh, I'll be r-right back," Raenef stuttered. "_Go_."

Raenef vanished from the study and landed lightly in his bed chamber.  He brought his hands up to his flushed face and looked in his mirror.  He knew for sure now that they had noticed the bright red balls on his cheeks.  He sat down on his bed and fell back into it exhaustedly.

"_Well I can't leave Eclipse and condemn him to wearing that dress the rest of his life, so I can't get bored."_ Raenef thought whimsically and played with a stray strand of hair.

Raenef walked over to the sink and splashed his face with cool water.  Once he recomposed himself he teleported back to the study.

"There you are!' Erutis exclaimed and hugged the cute demon lord. "Where did you go, you just kind of left without a word."

"He said five coherent words before leaving," Chris bombed.

Raenef looked around and noticed Eclipse half sitting on the small table from before playing with the frills on his shoulders.

"Hey Eclipse?  I know what I want next," Raenef smiled.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Raenef clamped down on his snadwich and tore off a large bite.  Eclipse sat on the blanket across the basket from the demon lord and watched the boy consume the basket's contents.  The tall demon looked at his lord affectionately, glad he's out of the castle and enjoying himself.  Raenef caught the look out of the corner of his eye and took another bite from his sandwich.

"Ho hi ent oo etting aythin?"

"Excuse me?"

Raenef swallowed, "So why aren't you eating anything?"

"I'm not hungry, but thank you Master Raenef."

"You know you really do look good in that dress," Raened finished off his sandwich.

"Thank you, Lord Raenef."

Raenef smiled.

"So it's not that bad having to wear a dress?" Raenef asked.

"You have no idea how bad," Eclipse sighed and shook his head.

Raenef laughed.  Eclipse let a small smile appear on his face but quickly banished it.

"So you want it gone?"

Eclipse looked up questioningly.

"Ok, Eclipse I order you to change back into your normal clothes."

This time Eclipse let his smile linger.

"Thank you, Master Raenef.

"Oh, but you have to leave you hair down."

"As you wish, Master Raenef," Eclipse bowed his head. "_Go_."

Eclipse sat on his bed, still in the frilly pink dress.  He let out a long breath.  He reached over to the bed side table and opened the drawer and withdrew a small knife.  He cut the pink fabric from his left arm.  Beneath the cloth bright red marks stood out against his pale skin.  He put the blade to his arm and pulled the sharp side swiftly across.

"_A servant does NOT this about his master in such ways._" He drew the blade across his skin four more  times while repeating the thought in his head like a mantra.

He looked at the blood dripping onto the abhored dress and took in the sight as a lesson of his own to stop letting his emotions rise to the surface.  Eclipse wrapped his forearm in black bandages and changed into his usual robes.  He checked the sundial in the corner (enchanted to cast sunlight on itself regardless of time or weather).  He'd only been gone for ten minutes, and that was a believable time to get the stupid dress off.  Except the dress had literally been burned off Eclipse's skin.  He quickly teleproted back to the small picnic blanket, his hair billowing out over his shoulders as he landed.

"Well welcome back," Erutis smiled.

Eclipse looked at the new comers and sighed.  Chris picked up what remained of Eclipse's sandwich and took a bite.

"So, happy to be out of that dress?" Chris asked after he swallowed.

"Yes."

Raenef looked up suddenly at his mentor, aware that his tone was slightly, colder, than it had been.  He dismissed it though because Erutis and Chris found nothing out of the ordinary.

The picnic soon finished and Eclipse sent the items back to the kitchen.

"So know what?" Chris asked.

"You get back to your sword training," answered Erutis.

"Ah yes, my training to become a Magic Wielding Swordsman!"

"Monk," the other three dead-panned.

"If I wanna be a Magic Wielding Swordsman-"The other three joined in "I'm going to be a Magic Wielding Swordsman!"

Chris blinked.  He hadn't expected his exclamation in surround sound.

"Chris, you're a cleric, or your a monk.  Practice or don't but your not going to be a Magic Wielding Swordsman!" Erutis yelled and stalked off toward the castle.

Raenef sighed, "Those two are always at it."

"Indeed."

"Is everything alright?"

"Everything is fine Master Raenef.  Why do you ask?"

"No reason, just making sure," Raenef smiled.

By the end of the week twelve more slices would appear on Eclipse's arm.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

"Hey Erutis, have you seen Eclipse?" Raenef asked.

Erutis and Chris stopped in their sparring.

"I thought he was with you," replied Erutis.

"He was but he left a while ago to do something and he hasn't come back.  I was actually studying too!" Raenef pouted.

"Well I say we need to go on a castle wide search for Eclipse!" announced Chris "_It'll give my poor arms a break." _--;;

"Ok, who knows where Eclipse's room is?"

"We've been over this Rae," Erutis sighed.  "I'll go left, Chris you go up, and Rae you go right."

"I have to do the whole side!?" Raenef burst.

"Well we have to do a lot too.  So get moving," said Chris and walked off.

Erutis left as well and Raenef sulked off.

Chris walked along the marble walkway, peeking in all the windows searching for the elusive demon.  He looked in the window of one room that had heavy crimson drapes.  Upon parting the curtains a strong thought hit him.

"_I will not think about Raenef._"

Chris looked in and saw Eclipse mutilating his arm with the intricate knife.  He backed up and let the drapes fall back into place.  Eclipse was in love with Raenef!  How sweet!  Chris was about to run back to find the others but remembered what Eclipse was doing.

"_He's cutting himself so he'll stop loving Rae._"

Chris was about to open the door when it opened itself.

"What?" Eclipse glared.

"I was just wandering around like usual."

"And getting lost."

"Hey!  I'm not-"

"_Go._"

Eclipse disappeared and left Chris standing there like an idiot.

"Well he could have at least taken me with him," Chris growled and began retracing his steps and getting more lost.

"Has anyone seen the monk?" Erutis asked.

"He's lost," said Eclipse.

"Typical cleric boy," Erutis smiled.  "So now what?  It's high noon so it's too hot to do anything outside."

Raenef wiped his forehead of sweat and looked up at Eclipse, "Should we go back and study?"

"Yes.  That would be a good idea Master Raenef."

The two teleported up to the study.

"Hey!  I was the bored one!" Erutis shouted.

Chris stumbled around the corner.

"Finally... Made... It..." Chris collapsed.

Erutis looked at the fallen boy and laughed.

"So you really did get lost," Erutis smiled.

"Shut up, it's your fault for sending me that way."

"You would've gotten lost the other way too!"

"Shut up!"

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

[1]Raenef looked out his window and shivered in the cold brisk morning.

"The world's ending!" he shrieked.

Raenef held his comforter around his shoulders as he ran from his room toward where Chris had said Eclipse's room was.

"Eclipse!"

He rounded the corner, the comforter sailing behind him.

"Eclipse!"

Raenef continued to yell his servant's name until he ran into him, quite literally.  Raenef fell back from the impact but Eclipse easily caught him using the feline grace he was so well known for.

"Eclipse the world is ending!"

Eclipse looked at his master stranglely.

"See!  Look at all the pieces of the sky falling down!"

Eclipse laughed softly.

"Eclipse?  You're laughing at me.  Shouldn't we do something?"

Eclipse sumberged his laughs, "Lord Raenef, it's snow."

"Snow?  So the world isn't ending?"

"No."

"Oh...  Can I touch it?" Raenef asked hesitantly.

"Go ahead."

Raenef crept to the balcony and extended his hand.

"It burns!"

"No, it's just very cold.  Why don't you go put on some warmer clothes and I'll go make something to eat," suggested Eclipse. "_I really do sound like a kitchen wench."_

"Ok," Reanef chirped and sprinted back to his room to warm up.

Eclipse let his gesture pass as simple course of servitude and teleported to the kitchen. 

Raenef found a winter outfit already laid out for him when he got back to his room.  He quickly slipped into it all and tossed the comforter on the floor as he ran out.

"Heads up Rae!"

Raenef turned toward the voice and a cold ball splattered against his face.  Raenef quickly brushed it off and placed his gloved hands on his cheeks.

"What was that?"

"It's called a snowball Rae," replied Erutis.

"How did you get one?"

Erutis stooped and molded a ball out of the snow at her feet.

"Ta da!  Snowball."

Raenef looked down at the snow skeptically but made a ball of his own, "So now what?"

A snowball pelted Erutis's face.

"You throw it at him!"

Erutis threw her snowball back at Chris who ducked under it but got hit on the nose by Raenef's.

"Nice one demon lord!"

"Thanks," Raenef smiled. "But I have to go meet up with Eclipse.  I'll come back and play later though.  Bye."

Raenef teleprted to the kitchen.  Eclipse was just putting breakfast on the table when he got there.

"Looks yummy.  What is it?"

"It's a pancake."

"Cool."

Raenef ate four pancakes before complaining he was full.

"Do I have to study today?  The snow is so much fun."

"Go ahead and play.  I'll bring you in for lunch," said Eclipse. "_I feel like I'm his mother not his sevant._"

Raenef jumped up and hugged his mentor briefly before dashing out of the kitchen.  Eclipse could hear the faint, "Oh wait, _go,_" from in the hall.

Eclipse cleaned everything up with a wave of his hand and went outside.  The cold had long since stopped affecting the demon.  He stood against the banister with the same open-chested robe as usual.  In the field out side the castle walls Raenef and the others were deeply immersed in a snowball fight.  They each had erected snow shields to protect them from the snow projectiles and had stashed snow behind them for more ammunition.  Eclipse watched the three batter each other with the snow until their faces were red and flushed from the cold and exertion.  Chris haulted their activities and ran inside the castle, returning with three wooden sleds.

"Come on Rae it'll be fun," coaxed Chris.

Raenef took his sled and followed the other two up the hill.

"So now what?" Raenef asked.

"Well sit down on it and put your feet on top.  Yeah like that.  Now hold on."

Erutis pushed on the back of the sled and propelled Raenef down the hill.  Raenef screamed the whole way down and half way up the next hill as well as the hald way back before settling between the two mounds.

Soon Erutis and Chris went streaming by and came to a hault near Raenef.

"See?  That wasn't so bad," said Erutis as she breathed heavily nd then glared at Chris. "Not that big of a hill ey?  I almost had a heart attack! What are you trying to do!? Kill me!?"

A smile spread over Chris's face.  Eclipse had heard the screams and teleported to the base of the hill just outside their sight.

"Yeah Chris, you could have started me off with a smaller hill," Raenef pouted.

"But then we would've spent so much time going up and down the small hills and wouldn't of had enough time or strength to do this one!  It's not my fault you're a scaredy..." his mouth filled with fire and he plunged his head into the snow.

Raenef and Erutis turned to Eclipse as he came into view.

"It's not time for lunch already is it?" Raenef asked.

"No, Master Raenef, not for another three hours."

"Oh good. Can we do that hill again?" Raenef smiled.

Erutis rolled her eyes and Chris smiled.

"Now that's the spirit!"

Raenef teleported the three of them back up to the top of the hill and they prepared to go down all at once.  Eclipse went back to the castle and began preparing for tomorrows studies.

After two more hours of sledding Chris called it quits and left the other two to keep sledding.  Erutis stood behind Raenef and prepared for a really strong push.  She crouched into a sprinting possition and burst forward.  Raenef shot down the slope and up over the other hill, the momentum carrying him out of sight.  Raenef started to scream on his way down the second, larger hill.  Eclipse once again was alerted to his master's plight and sighed as he teleported out to the base of the hill.  Erutis too began to make her way over to the other side.

When Eclipse arrived he only saw Raenef's back half slightly out of the snow.  Eclipse worriedly ran over and pulled his lord from the cold embrace.

"Wow, that was fun," Raenef smiled.

Eclipse leaned over him, shielding him from the light snow fall.  Raenef breathed hard, trying to give the needed oxygen to his adrenelin filled body.  He looked up and smiled again at Eclipse in thanks for the reprieve from the cold.  Eclipse looked down as the teen below him, at the rose colored cheeks, the pouty lips, the snow flake ridden lashes and the flaxen hair.  Eclipse unconsciously found himself moving closer.  Raenef had his eyes closed as he rested and was caught off gaurd when he felt a feather light weight on his lips.  He looked up at Eclipse, inches from his own face and the demon's thumb outlined his lord's face.  Eclipse lost himself for a moment and leaned in, bringing their lips into full contact.  Raenef was surprised and down right delighted Eclipse was kissing him.  He'd never admitted it to anyone but he'd fallen for the tall dark demon the moment they'd met.

"Raenef!"  Erutis shouted as she rounded the bend.  She stopped and looked over at the two.  She barely saw their connection before Eclipse disappeared.

Raenef laid there stunned even after Eclipse had gone.  He numbly brushed his fingers over there Eclipse had just left his mark.

"So Eclipse finally kissed you.  Good for him," said Erutis and helped the blonde up.

"What do you mean?"

"Chris told me a long time ago that Eclipse had the hots for you," Erutis winked.

"Well why didn't he tell me?" Raenef asked.

"He couldn't tell you, that'd be... against the rules of matchmaking!"

Raenef looked over completely confused.

"We should head back.  The winds changed and a big storms going to be blowing in," Erutis said.  "Grab you sled lets go."

Raenef was suddenly very cold, the wet snow had soaked through to his skin, causing his teeth to chatter like mad.

"Come on, teleport up back to the castle."

"G-g-gg-gg-" Raenef could only make out the one letter.

"Well looks like we'll have to walk," Erutis sighed. "Come on."

Erutis held her sled in one hand and Raenef's hand in the other as they trekked back to the castle.  They hadn't even made it half way over the large hill when the blizzard hit.

"Oh great, now I can't even see where we're going!" shouted Erutis.

"H-he-ey, th-there's a-l-li-light," Raenef pointed.

"Good ole Chris, I knew he couldn't leave us out here," whooped Erutis.

They still had a half hour long journey ahead of them in the deluge of snow.  They followed Chris's light spell to the castle gates and then trailed after the cleric inside to a warm fire place.

"Whew!  What a trip!" Erutis yelled and slumped into a chair.

Chris helped Raenef peel the icy clothes off and change into a warm night outfit.

"Where's Eclipse?  Should he be the one helping me?" Raenef asked.

"You're right.  Why am I doing the demon slaves job?" Chris asked jokingly and handed Raenef a mug of hot chocolate.

"Maybe he's just too embarassed to come out yet," winked Erutis.

"What do you mean?" Chris asked.

"Eclipse kissed Rae!" Erutis squealed.

"About time," Chris sighed.

"But then he left like he hadn't meant to do it," Raenef sulked.

Chris's head shot up.

"Like he felt he wasn't supposed to," Raenef finished.

"Holy Rased cast thy blessing upon the poor demon," Chris prayed quickly. "Raenef you have to get to Eclipse now!"

"What?  Why?" Erutis asked.

Chris explained what else had happened when he found out about Eclipse's crush.

"Oh no..." Erutis gaped.

"How long ago did he kiss you?" Chris asked fervrently.

"About an hour," Raenef replied.

"Run Rae, run like you're the wind!  Go!"

Raenef sprinted from the room, Chris following behind slightly slower helping the thawing Erutis along.  Raenef desperately tried to remember how to get to the demon's room as he ran up the slippery steps.  He rounded a corner and slipped in the snow on his bare feet, falling sideways on the hard polished floor.  He noticed a door slightly ajar and scrambled toward it.  He slipped again but caught himself on the door handle.  Raenef instantly recognized the dark interior as Eclipse's room and cautiously stepped in.

"Oh man they had me so worried," Raenef thought as he looked at the demon sleeping on the bed.  Raenef moved to the row of candles next to the bed and concentrated. "There," he said triumphantly as the wicks ignited.

Raenef turned back to Eclipse and brushed aside the demon's bangs.  His finger tips skimmed across the pele skin and he jerked back his hand from the biting cold.  Fear clutched Raenef as he moved closer.  He felt Eclipse's cheeks and found them icy to the touch.  Panicked, Raenef climbed onto the bed and slid on an unseen liquid.  He sat back and looked at his crimson-stained knees, doused in the blood masked by the color of the bed covers.  Raenef was becoming hysteric as he felt for a pulse and checked for breathing.  He found himself straddling the demon frantically trying to find a sign of life.

"ECLIPSE! NO!"

The blonde hugged the taller demon to his chest and sobbed into the heavy folds of black fabric.  Erutis and Chris were outside the door when they heard Raenef scream.  They both felt for the young demon lord and were saddened by the loss of their friend, even if he wasn't always friendly.  Chris moved in to get Raenef.

"No!  Get out!"

Chris stepped forward determined to help the grieving demon.

"I said get out!  Dark Arrow!"

The dark energy blasted Chris from the room and into the railing outside.  Erutis helped Chris stand.

"We'll give them the night and come back tomorrow," advised Erutis and they made for their rooms.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Every day after Eclipse's passing Erutis or Chris would go to his room and try to pursuade Raenef to leave the chair he'd been occupying as he sat vigil next to his servant.  Each time they were expelled via a Dark Arrow.  After two months they gave up.  Over two hundred years passed before another person entered that room.  Raenef VI stood at the foot of the bed, staring at the two dust covered skeletons.

Ok folks!  Yeah, sad ending, but don't hate me hate Kie!(my muse)  Well I hope you liked it enough to review   sniffle I think I'm going to go cuddle my Eclipse Plushie.

Sephiroth's Kitsune

After-After Note:  Ok it was brought to my attention that some part of my story was similar to another fic "First Snow".  I apologize to whoever wrote it and if they would like whatever credit I'm sorry but I cannot give it to them because I've never actually read their story and therefore it isn't copy writing.  But I still hope you all liked my fic.


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